1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to wireless communications and, more particularly, to the initiation of wireless communication sessions.
2. The Relevant Technology
Advances in wireless communications have helped to extend the capabilities and popularity of wireless communication devices, such as wireless telephones. However, despite the conveniences and utility provided by existing wireless communication devices, there are still certain constraints that can sometimes limit their use. For example, the restricted memory capacity of some wireless communication devices or the difficulty of synchronizing with the user's remote contacts directory can effectively prevent a complete telephone directory from being stored on wireless devices. In such circumstances it may be necessary to access a contact directory that is stored in another place, such as a personal computer, or a telephone book or other contact list in order to find a telephone number or URI that is necessary to initiate a communication session. Reference to the term “communication session” herein includes, but it is not limited to communication over a network, such as telephone call over a cellular network, over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), or over an Internet Protocol (IP) network. It may also include communication via pager, “walkie talkie”, network based instant connect communication, also known as Push to Talk™, or any other type of communication session that can be initiated from a wireless device. For convenience, in describing the embodiments of the invention, the term “communication session” may be used interchangeably with the term “call”.
Although the memory capacity in some of the more advanced wireless communication devices is sufficient to enable the storage of entire personal directories, some of these advanced devices also provide menu options that can increase the difficulty of learning how to utilize the storage capabilities of the device, including the contact directory storage capabilities. Additionally, as the contact list on a wireless communication device grows, it becomes more difficult and time consuming to find a particular contact. For at least these reasons, some users prefer to rely on their own personal memory or secondary telephone directories that have already been created, rather than having to learn how to download or synchronize the contact entries onto their personal communication devices.
In some cases, it may be difficult or inconvenient for a user to download or synchronize the contact directories that exist within the software applications running on their personal computers. For example, email applications, gaming applications, instant messaging applications, calendar applications, telephony applications, and many other applications provide contact directories that can be presented to a user through a graphical user interface for user interaction. These interfaces, however, are not always compatible with the directory formats provided by many wireless communication devices, thereby increasing the difficulty in extracting the desired contact information and storing it in a format supported by the device, thereby forcing the user to look up contact information on the personal computer, and then input the information into the wireless device either to store it for later use or to initiate a communication session.
To avoid some of the foregoing limitations, some people have begun to make wireline telephone calls directly from their personal computers. For example, some of the telephone directories that are configured to reside on computing devices include links to corresponding telephony and modem applications that enable a user to place a wireline telephone call directly from their personal computer to one or more recipient communication devices and in direct response to a selection of a recipient's name, telephone number, or other contact information from the contact directory.
Initiating a telephone call from a personal computer in this manner can be useful because of the convenience and familiarity in finding the contact information that is necessary to initiate the call. It can also be useful to initiate a call from a personal computer when the caller intends to utilize the computer during the call to access other information that may be a subject of conversation during the call, because the caller may have to maintain a presence at the computer. Furthermore, telephone numbers and other contact information are often contained within the text of an email, a web page, or another document on the personal computer, making it more convenient to initiate a communication session from the personal computer, rather than having to input the telephone number or other contact information into a separate device to initiate the session.
One problem with initiating a call in the foregoing manner, however, is that the caller's personal computer may not have adequate telephony capabilities to provide the quality that is desired during the call. Likewise, the caller may wish to communicate with the recipient via a wireless communication device, so that the user can have the flexibility to move around, away from the computer, at various times during the call for any particular reason. It may also be preferable for the caller to place the call with a wireless communication device because of favorable billing options and rates that may not be available through the computing device.
In summary, even though the contact directories of a personal computer can sometimes provide a convenient way to place a wireline telephone call with an intended recipient, callers may not wish to initiate a call through the computer because they do not want to engage in the actual telephone conversation though their computer's telephony applications for any number of reasons, including cost, convenience, quality, preference, and so forth.